Senior Home Care for Loved Ones With Alzheimers

Senior Home Care for loved ones with Alzheimer - Evaluating Care Options
Over five million people are living with Alzheimer’s disease in the US alone as of today. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia and accounts for an estimated 60–80 percent of cases. Alzheimer’s is a condition whereby the individual’s senses gradually decline. Difficulty remembering names and recent events is often an early clinical symptom; apathy and depression are also often early symptoms. Later symptoms include impaired judgment, disorientation, confusion, behavior changes and difficulty speaking, swallowing and walking.

Vascular dementia is the second most common type of dementia. Impairment is caused by decreased blood flow to parts of the brain, often due to a series of small strokes that block arteries. Symptoms often overlap with those of Alzheimer’s, although memory may not be as seriously affected.

Alzheimer’s is usually observed in people over 65 years of age, but can occur at younger ages. Providing the right kind of home care is imperative to ensuring their safety, well being and happiness.

Home Care Services generally include skilled and non-skilled care.

Skilled Home Care requires experienced and licensed professionals such as nurses and therapists for rehabilitation, occupational and social therapies.

Non-skilled Home Care deals with daily tasks such as bathing, dressing and toileting. In this case an individual can stay at home and receive care from family, and/or caregivers. When selecting a Home Care company it is important that the providers are experienced in the care of individuals with Alzheimers and are knowledgeable about what to expect and how to respond to provide the home care needed. Simply knowing when to approach someone or to give them space is an important skill for home care. Continuity of care is important as your loved will usually respond to someone they know by sight or are accustomed to the person’s voice.

You will have to choose the right care for your loved one.

Educate yourself first: Knowing what to expect and having the skills to best interact with your loved one can help reduce the stress of dealing with the disease day in and day out.
Find a Home Care Service in your locality: When finding a Home Care Service be sure to consider the following questions:
Is the Agency Insured/Bonded?
How often are supervisory home visits made?
Is the help available 24 hours a day?
What kind of background check is performed? Example, criminal record, references, etc.
Are the caregivers trained in the needs and care for someone with Alzheimers?
Can the company provide references?